Roast Turkey with Prosciutto Hazelnut Butter
Roast a whole turkey for Thanksgiving with the perfect flavor! This is a seasoned butter that soaks into the meat as it roasts, creating a moist, delicious main course. The Prosciutto Butter is also used to make gravy. If you do not like dry turkey, this recipe is for you! The recipe makes enough to put under the skin of the turkey, over the skin, and to use as a gravy base.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 3 hours hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine Thanksgiving
Turkey
- 1 20-24 lb turkey
- 1 onion, quartered
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled, halved
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
Prosciutto Butter
- 3 cups butter, unsalted, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
- 3 Tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 Tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 18 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
- 6 green onions, chopped
Prosciutto Butter
Place butter in large bowl.
Add hazelnuts, vinegar, thyme, crushed peppercorns, garlic, and salt.
Mix well.
Add prosciutto and green onions, and mix well.
Set aside until ready to use. The seasoned butter can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to three days. Cover it and keep it in the refrigerator. Remove and allow it to come up to room temperature when ready to apply to turkey.
Reserve about 1 cup of the seasoned butter for the gravy.
Seasoning the turkey
Loosen the skin on the turkey: starting at the neck end, slide your hand between the skin and breast, leg, and thigh, to loosen skin.
Set aside about 1 cup of the butter mixture for the gravy.
Spread the prosciutto butter under the skin generously. You want to cover the breast, legs, and thighs. Make sure you do not pierce the skin as you spread the butter.
Salt and pepper the entire turkey, both inside and out.
Place the quartered onion, halved garlic, thyme, rosemary, and crushed peppercorns inside the turkey's cavity.
Spread some more prosciutto butter on top of the skin, if desired. You can also omit this, and butter baste the outside instead. Both methods are delicious!
Cooking the turkey
Preheat oven to 325°.
If you are using an oven safe probe thermometer, place it in the turkey before putting it in the oven. I place two probes, one in each breast, down low, and horizontally.
Roast in oven until the thermometer reaches 165°. It usually takes about 3 hours for a large (20-23 lb.) turkey.
If the turkey is getting too brown, tent it with aluminum foil. Wrap small pieces of foil around the ends of the legs and tips of the wings when they are brown.
When the turkey reaches 165°, remove from the oven and allow to rest at least 30 minutes. You can tent it with foil to rest.
Carve the turkey after resting, just prior to serving.